Replaced the stock on Jason’s (my oldest grandson) Remington 597 .22LR. It is a Boyd’s unfinished laminate. I used Minwax Red Mahogany stain and Minwax Spar Urethane aerosol satin as a topcoat. The receiver routing required a fair amount of bedding, and the screw holes were a little off, but no big deal. Turned out very well, I love the color. It looks like rosewood.
I’ve been out of shooting for far too long. Though I did hunt a lot before I went into the army 24 years ago, my love has always been plinking and target shooting. In the 17 years that I’ve been out of the army, I’ve hunted a little but not in years. Haven’t shot any to speak of in a decade.
I bought my oldest grandson a Remington 597 .22 auto for Christmas. Did some research on it after buying it just to see if it had any inherent issues, etc, and found RimFire Central, a website I’ve mentioned before. I like the gun so much I decided to buy one for myself. I’ve had a Marlin/Glenfield Model 60 .22 auto for over 25 years, and it is I guess the best gun I’ve ever bought…shoots all ammo, accurate, never a feed or extraction issue. But I have never liked the looks of it…the tube magazine and the hideous (IMO) squirrels on the stock.
Since I have been into computers, I am no longer a “leave it like it is” kind of guy. So I’ve done a little modding to my new Rem 597….
Before:
After:
I’ve added a few goodies as you can see:
Volquartsen Target Hammer
Volquartsen Extractor
Eagle/MB Products Muzzle Brake
Rock Mount Bipod
Center Point 4 x 16 x 40 Adventure Series Scope
Weaver 3/8″ low rings
4 coats Krylon Fusion Ultra-flat black
Been busy with some reviews and haven’t had a chance to take it out and zero the scope…maybe in the next day or two.
All versions of the Remington 597 do have a few issues that are easily corrected by nearly anyone. Help with your issues can be found here at the 597 page at Rimfire Central. There are three generations of magazines for the rifle, the first two had issues. The latest one is metal and has a small circled “10″ on the side. Remington will replace your old magazines for free.
Most 597s have a very heavy trigger pull. This can be corrected by the Volquartsen Target Hammer. It sells for between $30 and $40, I got mine from Hawktech Arms. Detailed instructions for installation are found at the above link.
Many 597s have feeding and/or extraction problems. The earlier magazines caused feed problems, but many of the guns have the Guide Rods too tight from the factory, which bows the rods, and causes the bolt to bind on them. It is easily corrected, instructions found at the above link.
The stock extractor is ok, but some of them are tempremental, causing extraction problems. The Volquartsen Exact Edge Extractor will greatly improve extraction. It costs $19.95 at Hawktech, and detailed instructions are at Rimfire Central.
Something that most Remington 597 owners don’t realize, the 597 does not like oil in the trigger housing. Many educated owners keep the trigger mechanism and guide rods dry, others use a dry lube, several brands make them. If you MUST use a wet lube, I’d recommend using Break-Free CLP, and wipe off ALL of the excess, leaving only the Teflon for lubricant.
Another thing you can do to make things run more smoothly is buff the guide rods and the top and bottom of the hammer with extremely fine sandpaper. I wetsanded with Wetordry 2000 grit, then used rubbing compound, bringing them to a mirror finish. I also buffed the Guide Rod channels in the sides of the bolt. It really made a difference.
Finally, the 597 is rather particular of the ammo you use, especially if the stock extractor is still in place. The bad thing is that the favorite ammo isn’t consistent from gun to gun…what works well in one may have serious problems in the next. My rifle seems to like Federal Auto Match .22, but I haven’t tried a lot of different rounds yet. (I fired a couple hundred rounds right after installing the hammer and extractor) All of the above tweaks seem to help with this problem.
Was doing some surfing to find out about the .22 I bought my grandson for Christmas, and found a really cool forum dedicated to rimfire rifles and pistols, Rimfire Central. It is a huge forum, and highly moderated. It is probably the busiest forum I’ve ever been to except for maybe [H]. Check it out if you have interest in the .22LR, .22WMR, or .17HMR.
